Girls cross country: Illineks finish year with record performances at sectional meet

Gargoyle photo by (click to enlarge)Senior Elaine Gu (799) runs hard during Saturday's Class 1A Paxton sectional. She would finish 25th overall, leading the Illineks in her final high school meet.

By Gargoyle Sports Staff
Published: Sunday, November 2, 2008 - 4:08pm

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CLASS 1A PAXTON GIRLS SECTIONAL AT A GLANCE

When & Where: Saturday, Nov. 1, Paxton-Buckley-Loda H.S.

Result: 13th out of 19 teams; only the top five qualified for state

Summary: Despite not making the cut for state, the girls ran a strong sectional meet, with each team member setting a season or personal record. Senior Elaine Gu (25th, 19:47.4) and junior Elizabeth Russell (27th, 19:50.0) each placed in the top 30 out of a field of 146 runners. Senior Maddy Levin (62nd, 20:56.7), freshman Shruti Vaidya (124th, 23:04.8), and junior Brittany Scheid (126th, 23:09.6) each recorded personal bests.

Next Meet: The 2008 season is over.

PAXTON — Although they didn't qualify for a fourth straight trip to the IHSA state finals, the Uni girls ran a strong sectional meet Saturday at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School.

Senior Elaine Gu ended her standout career by leading the Illineks with a 25th-place individual finish. She ran the three-mile course in a season-record time of 19 minutes, 47.4 seconds.

Junior Elizabeth Russell was close behind her teammate, placing 27th out of 146 runners. Russell also turned in a season-best time, covering the course in 19:50.0.

With 308 points, Uni finished 13th out of 19 teams. Bloomington Central Catholic (56 points) won the sectional title, followed by state qualifiers St. Joseph-Ogden (108), Decatur St. Teresa (137), Shelbyville (195), and Tri-Valley (198).

Only the meet's top five teams made the cut for the Nov. 8 state finals at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Bloomington Central Catholic's Kelly Curran, a junior, won the race in 18:08.

Gu and Russell could have qualified for state as individuals if they had placed in the top seven among runners not on qualifying teams. Gu finished 11th in that group, while Russell was 12th.

The final individual spot was claimed Aimee Sims, a junior from Kankakee Bishop McNamara, who placed 17th overall in 19:24.

“Going into the race, I knew that this probably would be the last race of my high school career," said Gu. "I wasn’t concerned about time or placing, I just wanted to go out there, run my absolute hardest, and have no regrets. And I did that.

"Sure, a fourth trip to state would've been nice, but I did what I can. We all did. I'm so proud of everyone. We all ran our hardest and came away with seasonal bests and personal records."

The Illineks, only six strong to begin with, had just five runners competing in Saturday's meet. Junior Katherine Allen's season has been over since the regular season ended on Oct. 11 at the Cumberland Invitational; she has a fractured tibia in her left foot.

Allen, who had cut her times significantly since the start of the season, also sat out the Oct. 25 St. Joseph regional at Kickapoo State Park, where the Illineks earned the meet's fifth and final qualifying spot for sectionals.

However, the team's other three runners rose to the occasion on Saturday, as each of them recorded a personal best. Senior Maddy Levin placed 62nd with a time of 20:56.7, freshman Shruti Vaidya finished 124th in 23:04.8, and junior Brittany Scheid placed 126th in 23:09.6.

Though next year's Illineks will be without Gu and Levin, they will gain current subfreshman Sarah Vaughen, who established herself this fall as one of the top eighth-grade runners in the state.

Vaughen was a sectional champion and placed 18th out of 207 runners at the Illinois Elementary School Association Class A state finals, missing the top 10 by just four seconds.

With Russell leading the way, a healthy Allen back in action, and Vaughen providing state-caliber talent, look for next year's team to continue Uni's winning tradition in girls cross country.

Elizabeth Russell (798) picks up speed early in the race. Gargoyle photos by David Porreca (click to enlarge; click any photo to create your own slideshow)